Libraries are a great place to build community and read the classics, but they’re also a vital part of our sustainable future by providing access to resources and information from all over the world at little-to-no cost to visitors! My husband and I moved to Gardiner almost two years ago and recently made it Read More
Spotlight on Sustainability in Maine
Every day, Maine people and communities embrace better, more sustainable ways to inhabit our great state. Spotlight on Sustainability in Maine is devoted to gathering and sharing information about the people, places, and initiatives making a positive difference for Maine's environment. From fresh local foods to clean solar energy to turning trash into treasure, there are many ways to say “sustainable” in Maine.
If it is good news for our environment and involves Maine or Mainers, it belongs in the spotlight.
Boothbay Makes Strides in Reducing Plastic Pollution
With financial assistance from the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), the Boothbay Region Committee for a Plastic-Free Peninsula (PFP) began our activities in 2019. Our first project aimed to reduce the usage of single-use plastic bags. We decided to focus first on young people and sponsored a table at an annual Earth Day fair Read More
Making a Difference for Maine’s Environment in the Classroom and Cafeteria
Mainers can be proud of their schools for a variety of reasons. Every time I visit a new school I am impressed by the innovative ways they are preparing students for the future. Making changes in the way the students relate to food is no exception. This fall I was particularly impressed by the School Read More
Maine School Cafeterias Reducing Plastic Pollution and Waste
We are all familiar with the challenges of using plastic cutlery. These utensils notoriously fail at the only task they are made for: cutting and picking up food. In addition, they create a lot of single-use trash, are not recyclable, and there are reusable options. In recent years, schools have brought plastic cutlery into lunchrooms. Read More
York’s Young Foam Fighters
While alliteration in blog titles is great, there is something even better, and that is when we learn about the next generation of Mainers recognizing a major problem in our environment, foam containers, and stepping up to solve it right in their own community. That principal is certainly on display in York where an intrepid Read More
Portland, Pesticides, and the Power of the People
With all the hoopla surrounding the ringing in of the New Year, you might have missed the news about a pretty big deal in Portland, Maine’s most populace city. On Wednesday, January 3, the City Council voted unanimously to prohibit the use of synthetic pesticides in Portland. This is, as City Councilor Spencer Thibodeau said, Read More
Steamrolling Forward: Multiple Maine Towns Take Steps to Reduce Plastic Pollution
You may not have noticed amid all the hubbub around national issues and politics, but some other pretty important votes took place in Maine on, or near, this past Election Day. Multiple towns took important steps to help create more sustainable communities through the elimination or reduction of plastic pollution. And that is good news! Read More
Food Waste a No Go in Sebago
Sebago Elementary School principal, Kirsten Goff, received an email in August that intrigued her. NRCM’s “Food Guy,” Ryan Parker, had reached out to the principals of Maine’s K-12 schools with some information about reducing food waste in Maine’s public education system. Principal Goff immediately contacted Ted Bridge-Koenigsberg, who teaches science and language arts at the Read More
Cat Litter Quandary
As an environmentalist, I am constantly questioning the environmental impact of my everyday actions. Sometimes this leads to change, and sometimes it leads to more questions. My most recent dilemma was how to reduce the amount of trash I create. I used to track my trash generation when a Pay As You Throw (PAYT) policy Read More
